Student Organization of the Week: WICS

As of today, every “Hump Day” we will be giving you the scoop on a student organization at the University of Iowa! If you are a part of one of our campus’ 500+ clubs and organizations and are interested in being featured, contact us at UC-StudentOutreach@uiowa.edu.

To learn more about student organizations on campus, (joining, starting, choosing, etc.) please visit the web page for the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL) at https://csil.uiowa.edu/.

This week we will be featuring a student org that I am a part of and LOVE: Women in Computer Science and Informatics (WICS). This group has given me so many awesome women (and men) to lean on for support, look to for networking opportunities, and just have a good time with. Enjoy!

-Olivia

WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATICS (WICS)

answered by WICS President Chelsea Fagen

1) What is the name of your organization?Do you go by any nicknames or abbreviations?

Women in Informatics and Computer Science (WICS)

2) What is the purpose/mission of your organization?

“WICS is a group dedicated to encouraging young women to pursue technology related fields through community outreach, professional development, and peer networking.”

3) What days/times does your organization typically meet? Do you have any upcoming/recurring events you would like to be made known?

“Evenings during the week. Every year we carve pumpkins for Halloween. Other events include going to movies, tech talks, career fair preparation sessions and study nights.”

5) What social media does your organization utilize?

“Facebook”

(You can find this by searching “University of Iowa Women in Informatics and Computer Science (WICS)” or click here)

6) If a student is interested in joining this organization, how should they go about it/who should they contact?

“Join the Facebook group for updates on events. We also have group meetings… to be added to the email blast for when these and other events occur, email catherine-till@uiowa.edu.“

8) Is there anything else you would like to share?

“Females make up about 13% of all computer science majors and about 24% of all informatics majors. It’s easy for women to be intimidated when joining a field that is dominated mostly by men. WICS is a network of women encouraging and supporting each other to find success in the tech field.”

4) Why did you personally get involved with this organization? What makes you passionate about this organization?

“Getting involved: I became involved with WICS because I wanted to strengthen my network of other women computer scientists, and become more involved in my discipline as well. The best part of WICS is that I can do both of these all while having fun and making friends. Being passionate: I’m passionate about WICS because it’s more than just a student organization — it’s a group of friends who are willing to help and want you to succeed. There have been times when I was at a loss for what to do, and during these times, I’ve been really thankful for my fellow members of WICS supporting me. In this way, I want to be able to help other students as my senior WICS members helped me.”

-Heather Kemp

“I got involved because I wanted to make friends who could relate to the struggles of computer science. I like how WICS connects me to women in computer science because my classes are comprised of mostly males so I don’t get a chance to meet fellow female coders very often outside of WICS.”

-Mina Rao

” I got involved in WICS because there are not many women in the computer science classes. But I do believe that women have the ability to do computer science as a leader like Sheryl Sandberg.”

-Kay

FEATURED PHOTO: https://www.flickr.com/photos/75862793@N06/6812691909/in/photolist-bo1PXk-aUrUhz-5iD1PD-bo1Rtp-boj58R-dAN3oV-9yei79-7VZucT-dLiQP4-dARur2-5XicUA-dBYisw-8FipaZ-9LCooV-a1VHsX-at9con-9kfA9U-bo1R92-bo1Qbr-dARckB-dAX485-ejctfM-8rsm94-aRuWUe-6JxPZU-6rtuia-dAT37J-37S2CG-7YV4zG-cdnZXQ-bnCNEQ-8tXVig-bGisT4-dAQBfD-9NZ3qc-deNk9s-KwnP5-bJGd9-kDQw9a-6Q8cM6-dAuRXn-yGpo4-kDQwek-c39v6Y-dAwJ5K-eer58m-kDQwg4-82yXVc-dAkE95-93ywwk

**ALL OTHER PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND ON THE WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATICS FACEBOOK PAGE**